1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cashless vending machine system using a portable terminal.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 10-338234, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a conventional vending machine system, which allows deferred payment, using a portable telephone terminal, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing its operation.
As shown in FIG. 4, the vending machine system comprises a PHS terminal 101 which is a portable telephone terminal, a number of vending machines 106A, 106B, . . . 106N, and a controller 113. The personal handyphone system (PHS) terminal 101 comprises an input device 102 such as a keyboard for inputting a code number, a memory 104 for storing the input information to be transmitted, a controller 103 for controlling the entire operation of the PHS 101, and a transmitter 105 for converting the information into a radio wave signal and sending it. The transmitted information includes a personal identification code for identifying a user (which is a person, or a company) and a vending machine addressing code for addressing a vending machine. The personal identification code is, e.g., a telephone number assigned to the portable telephone terminal, or a number or code which can be distinguished from those of the other persons.
The vending machine 106A comprises a communication interface 107 for interface with the PHS 101, a controller 108 with a microprocessor for controlling the entire operation of the vending machine 106A and performing signal processing, a communication I/O device for on-line interface between the vending machine controller 108 and the controller 113, and a product delivery device 109 for delivering a product under the control of the memory 104. Other vending machines 106B, . . . , 106N have the same structure as the vending machine 106A.
These vending machines 106A to 106N are connected to the controller 113 through the on-line network via local buses 111A to 111N and a communication data bus 112. The controllers 108 and 113 control the vending machine 106A according to the control algorithm described later (see FIG. 5). The controller 113 includes a micro processor and a memory, and transmits data between the vending machines 106A to 106N through the communication data bus 112 and the local buses 111A to 111N while referring to internal ROM and RAM (not shown), to thereby control the entire operations.
The control operation will be explained with reference to FIG. 5. Initially, a user sets the vending machine number through the input device 102 of the PHS 101 (step S1). The controller 103 reads the ID code from the memory 104, and transmits the ID code and the vending machine number to the transmitter 105. The transmitter 105 converts the ID code and the vending machine number into the carrier signal, and transmits it to the vending machines 106A to 106N by radio communication (step S2). The vending machines 106A to 106N receive the ID code and the vending machine number (step S3), and send them to the vending machine controller 113 through the communication interface 110, the local buses 111A to 111N, and the communication data bus 112 (step S4).
The controller 113 receives the ID code (step S5), and judges the received ID code (step S6). The judgement of the ID code includes a security check of whether the use of the ID is prohibited or not. When there is no problem in the judgement, the controller 113 sends a selling permission signal to the vending machine controller 108 through the communication data bus 112, the local buses 111A to 111N, and the communication interface 110 (step S7).
The vending machine controller 108 receives the selling permission signal (step S8), and turns on the price indicator for a product section to permit selling of the product. Then, the user pushes a product selector button (step S9). The vending machine controller 108 extracts the selected product from a product rack in the vending machine, and delivers the product through the product delivery unit 109 (step S10). The vending machine controller 108 transmits the product code to the controller 113 (step S11). The controller 113 receives the product code (step S12), and collects and records the sales data of the vending machine 106A to 106N to send a bill to the user later (step S13).
According to the conventional technique, the vending machine, which is designated by the portable telephone terminal such as a PHS, communicates with the controller by the data communication, and sells the product to the user who is identified by the ID code of the telephone terminal. This technique eliminates use of an ID card, and allows deferred payment. However, the user must initially input the vending machine number through the PHS, which is more troublesome than using an ID card.
In general, PHS terminals do not perform the operations of reading the ID code from the memory by the controller, transmitting the ID code and the vending machine number to the transmitter, converting the ID code and the vending machine number into the carrier signal, and transmitting it by radio communication. Disadvantageously, the conventional technique requires a special PHS different from a general PHS.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine system which uses an existing portable radio-communication terminal such as a PHS, eliminates troublesome operations, does not require a dedicated terminal and a cash card, and allows deferred payment, reduces the costs and improves the reliability by using the PHS which originally employs improved cryptographic security.
In order to accomplish the above object, the cashless vending machine system comprises: a plurality of radio-communication terminals with terminal verification keys assigned in a one to one correspondence to the terminals; and a vending machine for verifying the terminal verification keys.
According to the present invention, because the vending machine system uses an existing portable radio-communication terminal such as a personal handy phone (hereinafter referred to as a PHS or a PHS terminal), the system eliminates troublesome operations, does not require a dedicated terminal and a cash card, and allows deferred payment. By means of the pseudo network for the radio-communication terminal for data communication, the verification key, which is assigned in a one to one correspondence to the terminal, is read by the vending machine by radio communication, and is recognized as personal data of the user. Because the PHS originally employs the improved cryptographic security, the invention is sufficient against leaking private information. The invention incorporates the general PHS as a part of the system, thereby reducing the costs and improving the reliability of the cashless vending machine system.
In another aspect of the invention, the cashless vending machine system comprises: a radio-communication terminal having a terminal information storage device for storing a verification key, and a terminal encryption processor for performing encryption with a random number and the terminal verification key; a vending machine having a radio-communication terminal pseudo network forming a pseudo network for the radio-communication terminal, and a verification key storage area for storing the terminal verification key from the radio-communication terminal, the radio-communication terminal pseudo network having a decryption processor for decrypting the terminal verification key from a value produced by the terminal encryption processor and a random number produced by a random number generator; and a center for communicating with the vending machine by radio or cable communication.
In another aspect of the invention, the vending machine refuses to sell an article when the terminal verification key is inappropriate.
The invention avoids illegal use of the PHS, e.g., rejects a person who stole the PHS tries to buy an article. To prohibit selling an article for some reason, the invention sets the terminal verification key of the radio-communication terminal to be inappropriate, so that the system stops selling an article to the person who actually carries the terminal when the terminal verification key corresponds to the inappropriate key.